Arrgggg. OK I just bought a new IRClone from BlueDo. Fast shipping BTW. I live in CO, so that helps.

I am having constant problems getting the IRClone to consistantly send/receive data and recognize the IRclone device via USB. Here's my system:

- Tosh Laptop (2.8 P4, 512 Ram) running XP MediaCenter - SP1 installed along with all updates, except SP2.
- USB 2.0 to IRclone device (tried two cables to see if one was bad)
- USB drivers D10606 installed and device mgr sees the IRclone as FTDI FT8U2XX (BTW, website is out of date for XP users pointing users to D10506 driver)
- Running IRCLONE 2.0 Beta

When I start IRClone SW I see a green light + USB device found on the status bar. When I try to UP or DL to/from the MX-500 I will either get a "Backup Timed out ...remote did not sync or not enough data received. OR, I get No USB device found, exit/restart. OR it will work and successfully UL the data. I have replaced the MX-500 batteries too.

Any ideas why this is so flaky, do I just have a bad IRclone USB device or wrong drivers. Do I need to wave a rubber chicken counterclockwise above my head before use ? What ????

Also, a UI recommendation:
- Add ALT-X hotkeys to exit each child form in the app, for standard windows navigation.

TIA for any/all help

This message was edited by rmassey on 09/03/04 15:19 ET.

Richard,

I'd try the old software and see if that works. [Link: irclone.com]

If it doesn't fix the problem, I suspect that it's a USB issue. I know that the Belkin adapter has been reported as not working with this setup.

Thanks I'll give it a try.

If I go with 113 SW, should I change the USB driver back to 506 as well ?

I remember that with the Beta, There were issues performing two upload/downloads in one "session". You need to exit and restart the program before attempting this. It was one of the bugs in the Beta. Other than that, and some minor punch-through issues (which I don't use), the Beta works fine.

When is the last time they updated the beta?

From the file dates, it appears that the beta is actually from late last year, and the production-level software is from February of this year. That would make the production software newer than the beta level, which seems strange. If this is true, it would also seem to indicate that they aren't planning to update the software any time soon, which would be a shame. Am I missing something?

Sean

I am having a bit more luck, but it still times out and/or does nto recognize the USB device. Mike sent me a PM and suggested that I not use it in bright lights, which I was doing. This may interfer with the IR signals. I have dimmed the lights, but still see some issues. I'm going to give a workout this week and see if it improves. Mike gladly offered to swap it out for a new unit, but I'll keep at it before I send it off for a swap.

I also had problems transmitting/receiving and found that raising the IR Clone by setting it on a CD jewel box eliminated the problem.

nice tip. I'll give it a try. I was trying the opposite and putting a few coaster under the south end of the MX500.

If you can, I'd also try setting it up on a PC. That'll narrow down the culprit (be it the unit itself, the lighting, the angle, or perhaps the USB converter)

?? >>try setting it up on a PC.

Not too sure what you mean here. Do yo mean physically, or install it on another PC. I am currently using Tosh laptop.

Try it on a desktop computer (not a laptop) if possible.

Laptops often have power issues, and the IRClone hardware draws power from the USB host. I second the desktop suggestion.

If not possible, make sure your laptop is plugged into the power while using IRClone.

Yup, Laptop is always plugged into AC power during IRclone use. I don't know if it would matter, but I also have a PCMCIA powered USB 2.0 card. This may give the needed power for the IRclone. Thanks for the tips.

This message was edited by rmassey on 09/12/04 20:20 ET.

OK, much better success today. I applied the following tips.

Placed IRClone on a CD jewel case
Put the remote about 1" from the IRClone
Dim the bright lights
Installed a powered PCMCIA/USB 2.0 card to run with IRClone
After each restore operation, exit the IRClone app and restart

This combination of tips seems to help a lot. No more time outs, no USB device missing, no failed restores. I think the use of the PCMCIA/USB card made the difference. This would relate to the power tip above. Using a desktop is just not practical, so I broke out the PCMCIA/USB card.

Thanks all for the tips and tricks. Hope my list above may help some others with the IRClone.

Richard,

Thanks for the persistence, I'm glad it worked out for you. When I originally designed Irclone I did a test to see how far apart I could get two Irclones to communicate with each other reliably. From memory the results were about 9 feet. Last year I changed the design of the IR transmitter and receiver but until tonight I did not repeat the test. The result was that I could place two Irclones at least 5 feet apart and had them communicating reliably.

Unfortunately the limitiation that forces the Irclone and MX-500 to be placed 2" apart or closer is due to the MX-500 IR receiver. Obviously the MX-500 transmitter is much more powewrful than Irclone as demonstrated by Daniels Menacing Thick Fluffy Blanket (MTFB) analysis. For anyone who experiences problems do try the Irclone and MX-500 as close as 1".

Mike